McKids Adventures: Treasure Hunt With Ronald

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All Rise...

Judge David Johnson thinks "McKids" sounds like a cannibal delicacy. (Come on editor, I dare you to print this one.)

The Charge

Yay, cholesterol!

The Case

So apparently Ronald McDonald hangs out with a group of fun-loving,
ethnically diverse children who think nothing of following a grown man in bright
yellow jumper and clown make-up to Egypt. They are the "McKids," and
they are very happy to be here. When Ronald McDonald emerges from his closet,
covered in explorer's equipment, the McKids get the idea in their heads to go
traipsing all over the planet seeking out adventures.

Ronald obliges. And their first super-exciting adventure? Why, a trip to the
library of course! The initial destination for the McKids is a jaunt to the
local library, where they learn all about the reference system and the joys of
wandering through aisle looking for books.

Eventually the McKids reconvene for some story time, and the amicable
librarian shares with them a story of pirates and treasure, which prompts the
McKids to go on a treasure hunt themselves. Gold fever settles in something
fierce when the kids stumble upon a secret map hidden in a library book!

Here's where things get really weird. Ronald's red shoe opens up, and
miniature red shoe car pulls out and grows into a jumbo red shoe. The kids, less
creeped out and more psyched to be tooling around in a mobile piece of clown
footwear, pile in, and Ronald starts them off on the adventure. The kids later
trade the shoe-car for a hot air balloon piloted by some overeager dude, who
takes them all around the planet. When the McKids reunite with Ronald, it's at
the pyramids in Egypt. Yes, they eventually find the lost treasure. I won't ruin
the reveal, but suffice it to say it's not as sexy as cursed Aztec gold or Nazi
loot, but something of a more "educational" value. So sweet.

The entire program runs a shade north of 30 minutes, and, opposed to some of
the delicious entrees available at your local McDonald's, is low-fat. The kids
are your typically diverse smiley bunch; thrilled to do what the script requires
and not the least disappointed when it turns out their sought-after treasure
sucks. Ronald McDonald, on the other hand, is effective in small doses, but
pushes the boundaries of annoyance when given extended amounts of screen time.
Overall, the thing felt like a throw-away DVD you'd get in a Happy Meal:
generic, inoffensive and mildly amusing.

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